1. Field of the Invention
The invention described herein relates to communications. In particular, the invention relates to telephony and voice mail.
2. Related Art
In the course of day to day activities, a person is often faced with having to establish timely contact with another party. There may be an urgent need to convey information or ask a question. At such times, the communications appliance of choice is usually the telephone.
There are times, however, when a called party is not present to answer. In such a case, the caller can leave a recorded message if the called party is appropriately equipped. Today, people commonly have voice mail. This enables the caller to leave a message that is stored in memory at a private branch exchange (PBX) servicing the called party. When the called party returns to his telephone, he is informed that a message is waiting for him. The called party then accesses the PBX to hear the message.
At this point, direct communication can be further delayed if the called party returns the call, only to find that the original caller is not present. What sometimes follows is the modern day phenomenon of “telephone tag”: a series of calls between the parties, in which messages are left by each party for the other. Eventually, after what may be considerable time and frustration, a fortuitous call occurs in which both parties happen to be present and available. Then, at last, the desired conversation can take place.
What is needed, therefore, is a system and method in which a called party listening to a voice mail message can be told whether the original calling party is currently available. The called party can then return the call if he knows that the calling party is available. This would prevent the time consuming sequence of calls and return calls. In the work environment, this would facilitate greater efficiency and productivity among employees.